Capped contact pin



Nov. 3, 1931. w. J. GAGNON CAPPED CONTACT PIN Filed April 25, 1930 INVENTOR WILLIAM J.GAGNON Patented Nov. 3, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM J. GAG-NON, OF I BRIDGEPOR-T, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE DEAD CHAIN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BBIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT Application filed April 25,

This invention has to do with a contact pin of the type having a cap over its inner or attaching end, as described in my copending application Serial No. 305,296 filed September 11, 1928,. The present invention is an improvement on the pin there described in that it does away with the need of making an anchorage shoulder on the main body of the pin, and'yet provides such a shoulder in a simpler way, that is, by flanging the cap at its open end.

A pin made in accordance with this invention is described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a view in central vertical sec-.

The pin 10 shown here is made of sheet metal in tubular form with a longitudinal seam 11. At its lower end 12 the wall of the pin is drawn in to decrease the size of the opening-and thus to facilitate the soldering (of the filamentto the pin. The soldering "may be done in the manner described in the Gagnon Patent No. 1.7 02,234. The upper or attaching end of the pin, sometimes called the head, is necked down so that there is an inwardly tapered portion 15 ending at an annular shoulder 16. The latter presents a. surface that is substantially at right anglesito the axis of the pin. The material of the pin is turned in at the top giving an end wall 17 with a hole -18 in it. l

. The cap 20 is made from sheet metal in the form of a cup with an annular flange 21, substantially at .rightangles to its axis, at its open end. If the cap is pre-formed with a flange, then to attach it to the pin, the cap is placed over the tapered head'of the pin until its end wall 22 rests against the top wall 17 and then it is clinched against the sides of the tapered head in any suitable way to produce a secure union. The flange 21 is notdis- .50 turbed, the effect of the compression being the cup and flare it as it advances until the GA'PPED con'rac'r rm 1930. Serial no. 441,395

head of the pin its side wall is necked down to bring it against the sides of the pin. There should be an annular shoulder opposite the shoulder 16 of the pinto engage the rim of end wall of thecup comes'against the end wall of the pin. The result is a flanged cap clinched against the tapered head of the pin. 1 The pin is designed especially for being molded into a base by the method (set forth in my copending applications, Serial No. 56,- 292, filed'September 14. 1925, and Serial No. 202,082 filed June 28, 1927) which involves the shaping of the base material about the heads of the pins while simultaneously opening a wireway to the interior of the pin. The capped pins are set up in recesses in the fixed die with the tapered head portions, above the flanges 21, extending into the mold cavity. The base material is put in around the heads and-then the forming die, which is provided with conical projections registering with the pins, is brought down to press the material into shape. In the course of-the shaping, the conical projections push through the base material and pierce the end walls 22 of the caps on the pins which theretofore have excluded the base material from the interiors of the pins. Thus the wireways are opened to the interior ofthe pins.

The pin is held securely in the base by reason of the fact that there is a portion of reduced diameter between the flange 21 and the top of the tapered portion. The taper serves also to restrain the pin from swiveling and the engagement with the base material prevents rotation.

The simplification and resultant economy, gained by the provision of a flanged cap, are considerable and represent an advance in 100 those respects as compared with the former practice of expanding a part of the metal of the in itself to form an anchorage shoulder. The use of a flanged cap is not limited to a pin with a tapere head butmay be ut on any tubular contact pin, whether seam ess or as described here and whether the pin is to be molded or staked into the base, since the flange serves as an anchorage shoulder in either case.

I claim- 1. A tubular electrical contact pin having a cap over its attaching end, said cap having a flange to serve as an anchorage shoulder when said pin is molded in a base.

2. A tubular contact pin having a cap over its attaching end,. said cap having a flange at its open end to serve as an anchorage shoulder.

3. A tubular electrical contact pin having a cap over its attaching end said cap comprising a tubular wall closed atone end and having a flange to serve as an anchorage means.

In te'stimonywhereof' I have signed my name to 'this specification.

WILLIAM J'. GAGNON.

by a flat surface 

